
The Life-Saving Garage Door Hack Every New Yorker Should Know
If you have an electric garage door opener, there's one feature that most people have never even heard of that could save your life.
I've been very concerned about the families devastated by the recent wildfires in California. Stories of people losing their homes and all of their possessions are just heartbreaking and make you start to think about what you would do if you were faced with such a horrific situation.
Some of the people who were affected by the wildfires have reported either being trapped in their garages or unable to get their cars out after losing power. Sadly, it turns out that many of them were unaware of an important safety function that is hiding in plain sight in every garage.
What is That String Hanging From My Garage Door For?
If you have an electric garage door opener, you know that it won't function without power. A law was passed in California a few years ago had made it illegal to sell garage doors without a battery backup system. A rechargeable battery located inside the motor of your opener will allow you to operate the door in case of emergency.
If you don't have a battery backup, there is another way to open a garage door that every homeowner needs to be aware of.
Every garage door should have a string hanging where the door attaches to the opener's track. Usually that string is bright red and has a plastic handle at the bottom. When the door is closed it will be near the door, when it's open you'll find it dangling near the motor.
This string serves as a quick-release trigger that will disengage your garage door from the electric opener's track and allow you to open and close it manually. Unfortunately, not enough homeowners know what that life-saving string is for. A recent social media posting about residents being unable to open their garages during the recent wildfires left many commenters in shock after learning about the true purpose of that red string.
Of course, this hack only works if your garage has a separate door or entranceway from your home that allows you to get inside to use it. Apparently, many detached garages in California only have a main door, which is why the state passed a law that all new garage door openers must have a battery backup. Far too many garage doors in California that were installed before the law was passed still have no way of opening from the outside if the power is out.
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